Oh no... Juliet Marillier is one of my favourite writers, but this book was just sooooo boring! How this this possible? I love the fairy tale East of the Sun West of the Moon so much that I am actually sewing a quilt inspired by it. I am just so disappointed with this retelling. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I got for free as an audiobook through Audible Originals with my Audible membership.

Audiobook Quality (4/5): This audiobook was very well done and I have no complaints.

Story (3/5): This starts out very slow with a very childish, fairy tale like feel to it. In the end this is a very simple story that focuses on lessons of friendship and responsibility. I did enjoy some of the fantasy elements but also found it a bit boring and struggled with the story keeping my attention, espcially in the beginning.

Characters (4/5): Hulde is incredibly naive and it takes a long time for her to start becoming a bit more savvy and worldly. In the beginning I really struggled to engage with any of the characters. However, by the end I really started to enjoy Hulde and her companions.

Setting (4/5): The setting is a typical fantasy type of setting. I did enjoy getting to venture underground and meet some other races. I also enjoyed the castle on the mountain.

Writing Style (3/5): Although this book is for the most part beautifully written, it felt like two different books. The style of the beginning was very childlike and then the second half had more of a YA fantasy adventure type of vibe to it. I struggled to figure out what audience this was intended for. The beginning was so simple and childlike I found it boring, while the end was too mature for children.

Summary (3.5/5): Overall this was okay, but I could have done without reading it as well. I love some of the things that happened in the second half of the book but the first half was incredibly slow. The writing was beautifully done but full of inconsistent pacing. If you are a huge Marillier fan you might want to check this out, however it is definitely not one of her stronger stories. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyable novella length audiobook by Ms Marillier. Who can't write a bad book. It probably qualifies as YA. Loved the main character and her "pets". A twist on a northern European fairytale. ( )